China and Russia may be secretly training for war against the US if Trump invades North Korea, two ex-military chiefs claim

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping said China and Russia could potentially engage US forces if they pose a threat.

By Sam Webb

19th December 2017, 2:08 pm

Updated: 19th December 2017, 4:46 pm

Top Chinese military experts say China and Russia could join forces against the US if a war with North Korea turns into a wider conflict.

Beijing should move troops to its border with the war-mongering Stalinist nation to prepare for a conflict that could break out any time between now and March, Lieutenant General Wang Gongguang claims.

US Marines and South Korean Marine Corps soldiers during combat training during in Pyeongchang, South Korea

And Chinese military expert Song Zhongping said China could potentially engage US forces if they posed a threat.

He said In that recent high-tech anti-missile drills held by China and Russia in Beijing were to prepare for an attack by the US if the war of words between Trump and Kim Jong-un turn spill over into violence.

"The main target of the joint drills between China and Russia is the US, which has both ballistic and cruise missiles that could pose a real threat to both Beijing and Moscow," Song told the South China Morning Post.

"Defensive action could lead to engagement if US action on the Korean Peninsula threatens China’s core interests."

The Global Times, the English-language outlet of the Beijing government mouthpiece People’s Daily China, reports the Wang is warning of the need to be "mentally prepared for (war) anytime".

He added: "China should be psychologically prepared for a potential Korean War, and the Northeast China regions should be mobilised for that."

China and Russia today slammed President Donald Trump's first National Security Strategy - which pilloried both nations as challengers to US power - as a "Cold War mentality" with an "imperialist character".

The two global powerhouses hit back hours after the Trump administration unveiled its approach to the world with biting language framing Beijing and Moscow as global competitors.

"We urge the United States to stop intentionally distorting China's strategic intentions and to abandon outdated notions such as the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, otherwise it will only harm itself or others," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

U.S. President Donald Trump calls on China to do more about North Korea while in Beijing

Moscow issued its own denunciation moments later.

"The imperialist character of this document is obvious, as is the refusal to renounce a unipolar world, an insistent refusal," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.